Device for securing and circumferentially positioning furniture legs on an associated furniture part



Oct. 15, 1957 J. HUFF 2,809,876

DEVICE FOR SECURING AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY POSITIONING FURNITURE LEGS ON AN ASSOCIATED FURNITURE PART Filed Dec. 9. 1955 DEVICE FOR SECURING AND CIRCUMFEREN- TIALLY PDSITIONING FURWETURE LEGS N AN ASSOCIATED FURNITURE PART John Hulf, Chicago, Ill. Application December 9, 1955, Serial No. 552,168 3 Claims. (Cl. 311-114) This invention relates to fasteners, and more specifically to novel means of the screw in type for fastening furniture legs so that when the leg is screwed into the furniture structure the ornamental side of the leg is exposed and the nonesthetic side is turned inwardly and concealed.

In the furniture trade, the present trend features the use of round legs preferably of tapered or conical form and in the manufacture of inexpensive, volume production furniture these legs are rolled of metal and present an unsightly seam line for the full length of the leg. Since such furniture must be cheaply priced, any treatment to cover the seam line is prohibitively expensive and the only recourse therefore is to insure in the assembly of the leg with the associated furniture part, that the seam line is concealed by locating it on the inside of the leg so that it cannot be readily noticed by the casual observer.

Furthermore, the legs must be easily dismantled and reassembled without tools with respect to the related furniture structures to facilitate package shipping and compact storage of the components.

A general object of the invention is to provide a novel leg fastener which is economical to manufacture, positive in application and extremely simple to use.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a fastening assembly which includes a pair of cooperative threaded elements adapted for attachment to a furniture leg part and a table top part respectively and wherein at least one of the elements is selectively adjustable and releasably interlocked in several circumferentially displaced positions relative to its associated part to control the final position of the leg with the preferred side of the leg on the outside when the leg is tightly screwed up to the top.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein: a

Figure l is a side elevational view of a table showing the legs in several positions of attachment to a top;

Figure 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the attaching structure with the leg shown fragmentarily;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4- is a fragmentary sectional view on the line of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view comparable to Figure 3 but showing the bolt unlocked and rotatable to anyselected position, and r Figure 6 is a fragrnentary view of an alternative design, the view being comparable to Figure 4.

Describing the invention in detail, and having particular reference to the drawings, the furniture chosen merely for purposes of illustration comprises a table generally indicated 2 which includes a top 3, made of any material such as plastic, metal, etc. or wood.

The top is provided at each corner 4 with a bracket 5 which comprises an upper peripheral flange 6 abutting 2,809,875 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 2 with its top side 7 against the bottom side 8 of the top. The flange may be provided with a plurality of apertures or holes 9 through which are passed screws lit), the threaded shanks it of which are screwed into the top so that the heads 12 are drawn up as at 15 against the underside of the flange whereby the bracket is removably secured to the top 3. The flange 6 circumscribes a dependent integral socket 1 5 which is defined by a preferably annular wall 15 merged at its upper edge into the inner perimeter of the flange 7 and the lower extremity of wall 15 combines with an integral bottom wall or web 16 which is preferably inclined to the horizontal as best seen in Figures 3 and 5. The cup 14 receives a head 17 of a bolt or threaded element generally designated 18, said bolt having a shank 19 which extends through a central aperture or opening 20 in the bottom wall 16.

It will be seen from a consideration of Figure 5 that the shank 19 is longer than the distance from the upper side 21 of the bottom wall 16 and the adjacent portion of the bottom side 8 of the table so that when the bolt is elevated as shown in Figure 5 the rounded head 22 of the bolt is caused to abut as at 23 against the underside of the table top without the shank 19 being withdrawn from the aperture 20 whereby the bolt is held captive and in an assembled relation with the cup portion of the bracket. It will be noted that the rounded top 22v of the head 17 permits easy rotation of the bolt in its elevated position. It will be understood, however, that this specific construction of the bolt head is preferred but not exclusive of other forms as well known in the art. The shank 19 of bolt 18 has an upper non-round or looking portion 25 preferably square in cross-section andthe portion 25. has alimited extent longitudinally of the shank 19 such that upon elevation of the bolt as seen in Figure 5 it is withdrawn from the slot 20, which is also square as best seen in Figure 4, and the bolt may be rotated an incremental portion of a turn as permitted by the round threaded lower portion 26 of the bolt. Thus the circumferential position of the bolt is adjusted and in its new position lowered into interlocked relation of the sides 27 of the upper portion engaging the opposing sides 28 of the vslot'20. The function of such adjustabilitywill be presently ex-.

plained.

The lower extremity of the bolt is provided with a downwardly tapered conical end 29 which is adapted to guide the bolt into a threaded aperture 30 which is provided centrally on the bottom web 31 of a cup shaped nut generally indicated 32, and which includes a peripheral annulus 33, the annulus fitting closely within the open upper end 34 of the leg 35 and weld-connected thereto as at 36. The leg 35 is a hollow structure and rolled into a conical of tubular shape as shown, with the abutting edges 37, 38 defining a longitudinal seam 3W therebetween. The leg is capped at its lower end by a ferrule 46 which enhances it aesthetically and also with the member 32 adds to the leg structurally.

In assemblyflhe bolt 18 is assembled with the bracket 5 with the upper portion 25 of its shank entered in slot 20 and the underside edge 41 of the head 22 resting upon the top surface 21 of the bottom wall 16., The Screws 10 are threaded into the top after being passed through the openings 9 in the bracket. The leg is, then aligned with the shank 19 of the bolt and moved up .to the bolt whereupon the lower tapered end 29 pilots the shank 19 into the threaded aperture 30. The leg is then rotated and threaded onto the screw portion 26 of the retaining bolt until the upper edge 43 of the leg abuts as at 44 and locks against the underside 45 of the bottom wall 16. If upon so doing it is found that the seam line 39 of the leg is on the outside of the leg so that it shows, the leg is unscrewed, the retaining bolt is rotated a quarter or half a turn depending on how much the seam line leg.

merals but with the addition of the sufiix a.

the upper or locking portion 25a of the ing splines 27a, ferential adjustments of the bolt are feasible.

Referring now to Figure 5, it will be noted that the nut structure 32 is made of sheet steel as is the leg 35 portion 31 is deflectable also bolt 18 self-aligning to cordiscrepancies and also insures that make the portion 30 and the rect manufacturing the leg will engage determined distance from said top, .a bolt having a head in said socket and adapted to seat on top of said bottom wall and having a shank extending downwardly through said opening, said shank having an upper portion with 2. The combination of a furniture piece, a dependent bracket part supported thereby, a leg part of the type having a limited circumferential ornamental area, said leg part disposed in normal position in supporting relation to said furniture piece with said ornamental area exposed and having an upper end abutting said bracket part, a pair of interthreading elements on said parts, means adjustably fixing one of said elements to its associated part in a parts, said one element having one position disposing the ornamental side of the leg part exposed coincidental to engagement of the upper end of the leg part with said bracket part as said leg part is screwed up to the bracket part, means selectively and releasably positioning and releasably holding said one element in at least approximately a position such that when said leg part is screwed up to said bracket part, the leg part assumes said one position thereof, said other element comprising a nut structure including a plate member connected to the respective part and extending transversely of the axis of said threaded elements and having an apertured threaded portion receiv- 3. The combination of a supported part and a supporting part therefor, one of said parts having a member including a wall with a multi-sided opening therethrough, a bolt having a head adapted to seat against said wall on a side thereof remote from said other part and having a shank extending through said opening, said shank having a locking portion adjacent to said head with sides adapted to engage the sides of the opening for preventing rotation of the bolt, said bolt having an outer end threaded portion of a diameter adapted to pass through said opening, said the opening to disengage rotating said bolt to any of ferentially displaced positions and then reinserted into said opening to reengage the sides of said locking portion with respective sides of said opening, said other part having a threaded structure adapted to thread with said outer end of the shank to draw up said other part with its edge adjacent to said one part into abutment with a side of said wall adjacent to said other part, the position of said other part being a function of the position of said positioning of the bolt locates the circumferential disposition of said other part where desired.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

